Game apparatus.



No. 766,676. PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904. H. U. DOWNING.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED mm. 10, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

ALABAMA GEORGlA V/T/V/iSiQ/ZS l'VVE/VTOR I n k I Atlornq'y Patented August 2, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUGPLURQUHART DOWVNING, OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA.

GAME APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 766,676, dated. August 2, 1904,

Application filed December 10, 1903. Serial No. 184,624. (No model.)

To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, H UGH URQUHAR'I Dowx- ING, of the county of Lee, State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improved game apparatus, and more particularly to a card game, the object of the invention being to produce a game based on the electoral representation of the States of the Union which will be attractive and at the same time instructive.

A further object is to produce a card game which will familiarize players with the distribution in the electoral college of the representation in that college of the several States, embodying said instructions with such simplicity that youthful players can readily comprehend the manner of playing the game and also the instructions which it imparts relative to the election of the President and Vice-President of the United States.

\Vith these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents one of the State cards. Fig. 2 is a view showing a modified form of State card. Fig. 3represents one of the nine blank cards, the number and representation thereon being represented in red; and Fig. 4: is a View illustrating one of the remaining blank cards.

The pack or deck may consist of any desired number of cards; but I have found in practice that one hundred and sixty-eight cards is a convenient number to employ, fortyfive of which are designated as State cards. At the top of each of these State cardsis a number denoting the electoral vote of that State in the electoral college, below which is printed the name of the State, and immediately below the latter is located a representation of the coat of arms of said State, as will more clearly appear by reference to the sample State card illustrated in Fig. l of the drawings. Instead of using the representations of the coat of arms of the various States on the State cards 11 might employ the representation of a ballot-box, as disclosed in the modified form of State card illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The remaining cards, one hundred and twenty three in number, are termed blank cards, nine of which have numbers thereon higher than the electoral vote of New York, and in addition thereto a representation of a star, the latter and number being printed in red, as shown in Fig. 3, while the remaining cards of this series, one hundred and fourteen, are each provided with a number near its top less than the electoral vote of New York and with a representation of a ballot-box, as shown in Fig. AL. The numbers at the tops of the blank cards denote their rank in taking tricks, as the card played whether it be a State or blank card having the highest number takes the trick; but they do not count in the score for deciding which of the contesting parties have elected their candidates for President and Vice-President, the only cards counted in this instance being the State cards.

Regardless of the number of cards which it may be desired to constitute a pack or deck there should be at least forty-live State cards and nine, more or less. blank cards printed in red or other color different from that of the State cards.

The game may be played by four, six, or eight persons, who should arrange themselves around a table so that every other player is a partner, the players of one side styling themselves Democrats and the other Republicans.

After the deal has been determined, which may be accomplished by cutting the cards in the well-known manner, the cards are then shuffled and dealt one atatime to each player, beginning with the player at the left of the dealer, backs up, as no card should be exposed. If four or eight persons are playing, deal out the entire pack.

If six persons are playing, deal out all but the last six cards, which latter should be laid on the center of the table with the backs up, and after all the cards have been played these cards should be divided, each side taking three.

The cards having been dealt in the manner poses any card, he shall be considered to have played that card, and he shall not be permitted to take it up again. When the player has laid down a card as just mentioned, the player at his left then plays one from his hand, and in the same way the other players each in turn play a card. The cards thus played belong to the player who played the highest card. The player thus taking the trick then lays down a card, and the others each in turn play one, as before. In all cases the player who takes the trick is the one who should next lead a card. When each player has played three cards, each then takes the three top cards from his pile and puts them in his hand, so that each will again have six in his hand. When the players are again reduced to three cards apiece in their hands, each will again take up three from his pile. This is continued until all the card piles have been exhausted, and the players will still continue 'to play until every card has been played.

Rules governing the game:

The player who plays the card having the highest number takes the trick whether it is a State card or not.

If the two highest cards are equal and were played by persons on the same side, the trick will belong to the partner who first played one of those highest cards.

If the two highest cards areequal but are played by persons on opposite sides, then the trick will belong to any other player who played the next highest card.

If the three highest cards are equal, the trick will belong to the side that played two of those highest cards; and the player on that side who first played a highest card will be the one to lead next.

If there is an exact tie between the two sides respecting the two highest cards and also respecting the other cards played, then the trick will belong to the player who led.

The playing of the game may be exemplified by the following description of a few sample plays, assuming that four persons are playing.

Suppose that each'players first six cards are as follows: A has blank cards 1, 4:, 7, 9, and 32, and he also has State card Wyoming, (electoral vote, three.) B has blank cards 6, 9, l4, and 32. Healso hasState cards Mississippi (electoral vote, ten) and Pennsylvania (electoral vote, thirty-four.) C has blank cards 6, 12, 22, 27, 32, and 35. D has blank cards 7, 12, 15, and

42. He also has State cards Illinois (electoral vote, twenty seven) and New York, (electoral vote, thirty-nine.) D was the dealer. A has the lead. A plays a blank card 4. Bplays Mississippi, (ten) C plays his blank card 35, which is his highest card, to try to take the trick. D takes the trick wit-h New York, (thirty-nine.) D then leads blank card 7. A, B, and C each play a blank card 32. Thetrick belongs to A and C, because they played two of the three equal highest cards. A has the lead, because he played the highest card before his partner. A then leads a blank carc 9. B playsa blank card 14:. blank card 27. D plays Illinois, (twenty-seven.) C and D have each played a 27, which is the highest number played; but the trick belongs to B, because he played the next highest card, blank 14. Hence B and D have carried Mississippi, Illinois, andNew York, which together makes seventy-six electoral votes. A and C have so far scored nothing. has now played three cards, and each takes the three top cards from his pile and puts them in his hand. As B took the last trick, it is his time to lead.

The game may also be played after the following manner: Separate the blank cards from the State cards. Place the latter in a pile with the faces up in the center of the table. Deal six blank cards with the backs up to each player. Place the rest of the blank cards in a pile with the back up about the center of the table. The player at the left of the dealer then leads, and the others play as in the preceding method. The player who takes the trick takes the top State card and puts it on the table by him, and it counts on his side. He then leads another card from his hand. The player who takes the next trick then takes the next State card in the same manner, and this is continued until all the forty-five State cards have one by one been taken. When each player has played three cards, the one who took the last trick takes the three top cards from the blank cards and puts them in his hand. The player at his left takes the next three in the same manner, and so on until the last player has likewise filled his hand. This drawing from the blank cards is repeated whenever the players are reduced to three cards apiece in their hands. vAs the blank cards are played they are put in a box or basket and are from time to time shuffled back into the blank-card pile to keep it replenished. The same rules apply for taking tricks as in the preceding method except of course that no State cards ever get into any players hand. The State cards count as in the preceding method.

Since the State cards are one by one ex- C plays a.

Each player posed to view, it is a good idea to save ones highest cards, so as to play them whenever the highest State cards shall appear.

The precise manner of playing the game may be varied, as also may the rules without in any way altering or affecting my improved game apparatus. For instance, instead of the second rule hereinbefore stated the following rule may be observed.

If two or more of the cards played should be for the highest number, then the trick will belong to the player who first played one of those highest cards. The playing of the game under this rule may be exemplified as follows: Assuming D to be the dealer, A has the lead. A plays a blank 4, B plays Mississippi, (which counts tcn,) C plays blank 35, which is his highest card, to try to take the trick. D takes the trick with New York, whose number is 39. D then leads blank '7. A, B, anc C each play a blank 32. The trick belongs to A because he was the first one to play one of the three equal highest cards. A then leads a blank 9. B plays a blank 14:. C plays Illinois, which is the highest number played on that round; but the trick belongs to (1, because he first played a highestnumber. Hence B anc Dhave carried Mississippi and New York, while A and U have carried Illinois. Each player has now played three cards, and each takes the three top cards from his pile and puts them in his hand. As C took the last trick, it

is his time to lead.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A game apparatus comprising two sets of cards, the cards of one set being designated State cards and each having thereon the name of a State, a pictorial representation, and a number indicating the number of electoral votes to which said State is entitled, and the other set of cards being designated blank cards and each having thereon a pictorial representation and a number higher than that of the highest State card.

2. A game apparatus comprising two sets of cards, the cards of oneset beingdesignated State cards and each having thereon the name of a State, a pictorial representation, and a number indicating the number of electoral votes to which said State is entitled, and the other set of cards being designated blank cards, said blank cards divided into two series,one of said series having numbers thereon greater than that of the highest State card, and the other series of blank cards having numbers thereon less than that of the highest State card.

3. A game apparatus comprising a set of cards, designated State cards, each State card having thereon a pictorial designation and the name of a State and a number indicating the number of electoral votes to which said State is entitled, and another set of cards printed in a color contrasting with that of the printing on the State cards and each having a pictorial representation and a number greater than the highest State card.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

llUGll UltQUllAR'l DOWNING. Witnesses:

T. L. BOWDEN, HOWELL Hours. 

